Letter writer all wrong on historical board

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Editor, the Record:

Editor, the Record:

A Feb. 3 letter writer should research her facts regarding Stroudsburg's Board of Historical Architectural Review and its role in the redevelopment of land within the borough's historic district; she is entirely incorrect regarding the projects she cites and the operation of the HARB itself.

First, it is the citizen-elected borough council that makes all decisions — either in agreement or disagreement with HARB's researched and deliberated recommendations, a process analogous to the operations of planning commissions.

The former Weichel Buick building received a demolition recommendation by HARB in 2007 and a subsequent vote of approval by borough council. The would-be developers of a proposed two-story mini-mall then received a HARB recommendation for the replacement project that same year. However, land development plans later submitted to the borough's planning commission differed from the council-approved design, requiring revised approvals that were never sought. The property ultimately was listed for sale and is now under new ownership.

Meanwhile, for better or worse, HARB recommended demolition of the Carlton House in August 2012, but key requirements of the borough's historic preservation ordinance were overlooked, and council requested that a complete application be resubmitted and properly considered.

Other historic district sites in downtown Stroudsburg that were cleared of their former fire-damaged properties by votes of council — including a three-building stretch of the 700 block of Main Street and former Stroud Theater on Sixth Street — remain vacant and undeveloped, no fault of the historic preservation ordinance or HARB. In one case, it has been developer efforts to rewrite downtown zoning ordinances in light of a failed variance request that have held up redevelopment plans.

The role of historic preservation in successful, economically vibrant downtowns remains well documented, as are the mistakes made by communities that are too eager to sacrifice traditional buildings for ill-planned replacements.